Connect to your community through Chai Mitzvah

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Rabbi Karp to facilitate a nine-part course at the Alliance JCC

Rabbi Naftali Karp knows how to incorporate fun and food into a meaningful experience by bringing snacks to any study session he leads. Be it Partners in Torah, the Sunday night program he runs with Project Shoresh; Lunch and Learn, the Tuesday class he offers at the Alliance JCC; or the Jewish Student Union class he teaches at Classical High School, it will involve some freshly baked Kosher pizza (he even invested in delivery-style thermal envelopes that keep it hot) or an equally tantalizing indulgence.

Karp’s mission is to bring Judaism to those who want to study it, but haven’t been able to. Like Muhammad, he goes to the mountain. Since Karp is not affiliated with any temple, this “Roaming Rabbi,” as Wendy Joering, Community Concierge and Synagogue Liaison, calls him, makes Judaism meaningful to Jews, independent of their geographical or philosophical position. In addition to providing people with food, he matches his students up with peers and mentors, facilitating not only the discussion, but also the participants’ connection to a community of like-minded people.

Often, people in his classes become fast friends and learning partners outside of school. For example, Karp says of the students in his Partners in Torah class, “They go to each other’s houses all the time and study.” Project Shoresh, which he directs, supports this fully; after all, the name of the organization stands for “roots” or “grassroots.” Even if people don’t belong to a synagogue, they share the main principles of Judaism that make Karp’s classes relevant for everyone. He, himself, is an example of someone who is an unorthodox learner – Karp’s LinkedIn profile reads, “Everything I needed to know about Judaism I did NOT learn in Hebrew School.”

Starting in January, he joins the facilitators at Temple Beth-El, Temple Emanu-El and Congregation Beth Sholom in leading a Chai Mitzvah class. Karp will lead two separate sessions of a nine-part course that will be held at the Alliance JCC on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. and Tuesdays at noon. The two tenets of the organization include building a Jewish community and deeply engaging in the religion. Chai Mitzvah achieves these goals through five steps: learning about Jewish heritage (e.g., reading Jewish literature, taking a class in Hebrew); participating in a new ritual (e.g., Jewish meditation, lighting Shabbat candles); engaging in social action with a Jewish flavor (e.g., volunteering at a shelter, visiting the sick); joining a community discussion; and celebrating your achievement (e.g., traveling to Israel, sponsoring a Kiddush at a synagogue).

Other than the steps, nothing about the program is regimented – the facilitator adapts the curriculum to the wants and needs of the students. Participants choose all the specifics, such as their object of study and their level of commitment, that fall into the general categories above. The beauty and strength of Chai Mitzvah depends on the negative prefixes – the organization provides an in–expensive way to enhance Judaism; it’s an in–dependent, un–affiliated and non-denominational 501(c)(3) corporation. Community leaders, coordinators and educators allow it to succeed.

In some ways, Chai Mitzvah is like chocolate – it’s just as rewarding and it doesn’t judge. One doesn’t have to be deeply religious to participate. In fact, those who wish to grow their Judaism are encouraged to reconnect with the texts and values they’ve enjoyed in the past. Individuals who are already profoundly involved in the social and the scholarly sides of Judaism can expand their studies or deepen practiced rituals connected to the religion.

The organization believes that personal commitments need to be supplemented with group learning, which is strongly supported. Joering, who encouraged Karp to get involved, says, “It’s nice to sit with other people who are not just like me.” But isn’t the point to socialize with individuals on the same wavelength as you are? She clarifies, “At the core, we are all the same – we all wish to carry on the Jewish legacy.” People who are unable to attend social events or synagogue can still become involved – Chai Mitzvah will help them organize a group near or even at their place of residence.

So what would one encounter at a one- to one-and-a-half-hour learning session? Participants might read a short text on various topics that include tzedakah, interpersonal relationships, environment and gratitude. They might listen to their facilitator regale them with some fascinating and novel aspect of Judaism with which they weren’t familiar. Mostly, they will engage in the Socratic method of learning – through discussion. Until the class starts, it’s difficult to predict its direction because of the highly flexible nature of the curriculum. Karp says, “Ninety percent of the preparation is knowing your audience. Chai Mitzvah is not just a class. It’s about people picking something that they want to personally grow in. The class will complement that.”

Karp is looking forward to the challenge of spontaneous learning. He likes the fact that his Monday class could take on a completely different format from his Tuesday class; after all, the course is versatile in nature – each group can have its individual flavor. Another reason he is excited about the role of a facilitator is the opportunity to learn. He says that he is constantly finding out something new while preparing to teach the material.

Karp calls the class “a crash course in Judaism” and “a way for people to meet other like-minded people they’d otherwise not meet.” His Project Shoresh website echoes the sentiment of Chai Mitzvah, “Let’s connect, on whatever level we can, on whatever level we are capable, and let’s laugh on the way – together.” So connect with one another and with this gourmet Rabbi. Joering is optimistic that the program will inspire more community growth. She says, “I’m hoping this will be the start of groups continuing to learn together because they want to.”

For more information, contact Wendy Joering (wjoering@jewishallianceri.org), Jewish Alliance Com-munity Concierge and Synagogue Liaison, at 421-4111, ext. 169.